When smartphones first became wildly popular with the iPhone in 2007, applications (or apps) were minimal and mostly produced by the manufacturing companies. Fast forward eight years to 2015, and there are more than 1 million apps on Apple's store alone. There's no doubt that apps have made smartphones more popular and accessible by the wilder community, but as with everything there are certain trends in app usage across the globe. So what does 2015 bring us, and what application trends are taking us by storm this year? Read on for our favourites.

Night-time apps

Apps that help its users get to sleep in the evening are becoming wildly popular. Whether it's a simple 'nature noises' app, or one that tracks sleep patterns, they are currently all the rage. One of our favourites is Twilight; this app automatically changes the screen brightness and colour at night time. By blocking out the blue light that has been shown to trigger wakefulness, it helps the brain easily transition from work mode to rest mode. Worried that you might have sleep apnoea? Why not check out SleepBot to track whether you're restless or talking during the evening hours.

Apps that control the world around you

So we've already toyed with a huge number of fitness and daily organisation apps, but what happens when these applications extend beyond our mobile screens? In 2015, apps to help us automate things such as the lights in our home or a home entertainment hub have become more and more popular. Perhaps you're sick of losing remotes and opt for a universal one with the app Dijit; it takes your iPhone signal and turns it into an IR signal so you can control your TV and stereo from your phone. Maybe you've bought some fancy new LED bulbs and want to be able to change the colour of your lights with the tip of your finger? That's all available, and it's all becoming more and more popular.

Personalised experience apps

Those that have an Android smart phone will probably understand the frustration that is the default launcher. This year, however, apps that make your phone more personalised are big, and start with apps such as Nova Launcher. These apps let you customise your home screen, your touch commands and even the buttons on your phone so you're not stuck with the stock programming. Non-stock messaging apps are also becoming more popular and people opt to have faces as their contact ID's or more user-friendly layouts for sending texts. Just when we thought the smart phone had reached its peak, these types of applications have blown everything out of the water.

A new kind of dating app

Last but not least, gimmicky dating apps are not going to die down soon. They have, however, evolved and started to include more diverse ways of meeting new people. A lot of new meeting apps are now geared towards making friends, meeting people with the same interests or niche dating markets. A select few include Tindog, the puppy playdate app for dog lovers, or Bristlr, the beard-only dating app helping people to connect with their (bearded) true loves. There are a surprising number of these applications popping up on both the Apple store and the Google play store, so keep your eye out and you might just see something you like!

As you can see, 2015 is an exciting and slightly weird time to be in the app market. Whether it's apps designed to transform ones day-to-day life, or simply to connect people with similar hobbies to one another.